Hub shelters are very popular in the hunting industry as well as the ice fishing industry. As of this writing, hub shelters were starting to be used in the camping industry for camping tents.
Hub shelters typically include a hub assembly that has two or more poles attached to a hub to support a tent structure. Such hub shelters generally use a pressure fit hub assembly to support the structure. The shelter structure may be bowed out at the middle of each side panel due to this hub assembly. Shelters that have hub assemblies tend to suffer from lack of usable space compared to the footprint required by the shelter. Thus, a significant drawback of hub shelters is the lack of storage space relative to the footprint of the shelter.
Additionally, shelters with hub assemblies tend to look very similar, since the hub assemblies require certain geometries for the walls, roof, openings, etc. of the shelters. This can be problematic in the case where the shelter is a hub shelter blind, since the geometries required by the hub assembly can limit design and frame specifications, as well as variations thereof, thereby limiting design options for the overall look of hub shelter to only a few similar designs.
An unfulfilled need exists for an expandable enclosure and an expansion structure that maximizes usable space while allowing for greater flexibility in design and function of the enclosure.